Global Gaming Directory Website Network

9/26/2010

Australian Casino And Gambling News, by Greg Tingle - 27th September 2010

The news keeps keep pouring out of Australia. We've got more world class entertainment acts and concerts at Crown Casino in Melbourne, a proposal to build a casino on Queensland's Gold Coast, a massive Intralot stuff up costing the Victorian government millions, a host of political fun and games and much more. Media Man and Gambling911 continue to deliver hard hitting and entertaining news in the fashion that you've grown a customer to over the years. Ok, let's hop to it Skippy Kangaroos and gambling mad koalas...

Kate Ceberano26 November 2010A special evening with Kate Ceberano and special guest Mark Vincent

Leo Sayer27 November 2010Come and celebrate Leo's 40 year career in the music industry

Burlesque Royale28 January 2011A never before seen spectacular of old fashioned showgirl glamour

Freddie Mercury - Let Me Entertain You...

The music of Queen and the spirit of Freddie Mercury like you've never experienced before. Craig Pesco is widely regarded and respected around the world for keeping the spirit and music of Freddie Mercury & Queen alive over the last decade. Since 2001 he has toured the world, performing to sell out audiences in over 13 countries, and Pesco's portrayal of Freddie Mercury was also witnessed by over 47,000 people in Hamburg, Germany at the 2006 World Cup. Closer to home, Craig Pesco has sold out many theatres across the country including seven sold out shows at Melbourne's Her Majesty's Theatre. Craig Pesco is the only person to be endorsed by Peter Freestone, PA and best friend to Freddie Mercury from 1979. Peter was Freddie's constant companion and by his side when he passed away on November 24, 1991. "It was an eye-opener for me" Freestone says of his first encounter with Pesco. "Craig is Freddie down to his fingertips. There is an amazing energy."

Another land based casino for the great state of Queensland - home of the banana benders. Yippy? Not so fast. Just as in the case in most part of Australia there si a small, yet vocal, casino hater mob, just as there are also the flocks of slots and poker lovers. So far the haters on the sunny Sunshine Coast have made the most noise, so give the devils they're due. The plan is to have the land based casino open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year. Of course just about all online casinos already offer that, but it's still an experience to stroll through a real life casino (and another experience all together to loose bit on the slots, tables and whatever), but on with the story, as we are winners and grinner's right? The anti casino establishment up north which includes Relationships Australia on the Sunshine Coast is not keen on the local casino plan for downtown Maroochydore.Lend Lease, the giant property firm has floated the idea of a land cased casino for the redeveloped Horton Park Golf Course, as it looked to find an "anchor tenant" for the prime positioned establishment. Relationships Australia is sticking to the line that it wants to see harm minimisation in relation to gambling and gaming if the prop was to to go ahead. Sue Miller, head of Relationships Australia said "If a casino were to be on the Coast, then we need to be looking at what we can do to make sure it's a safe enough environment so we can help problem gamblers to work through their own issues or better manage their gambling. One of the best strategies is that gaming venues usually have strict opening and closing times but most casinos are 24 hours, which would mean they have 24 hours access to gambling. It could be said it's the same as online gambling, but there is a pull for people who want the face to face of casinos, not apparently totally content with the 'Live Dealer' offered by firms like PartyGaming. At the moment, with a casino at Brisbane and the Gold Coast, a problem gambler has time to think about whether it's a good idea because of the distance to get there. The ease of accessibility on the Sunshine Coast could be a problem. Miller said part of RA's role as gambling educators and counsellors was to work with all the gaming venues across the Coast. This is at least part of the reason online casino reviews found at the likes of Gambling911,Media Man,Global Gaming Directory and Casino News Media are so popular. A Media Man spokesperson said "I think the Sunshine Coast should get a land based casino. Punters go online anyway. At a land based casino there's also safeguards, entertainment and tourism aspects, so why should they miss out on all the fun. Of course some people prefer online casinos, but we have found that most prefer to have both options. Our casino, casino reviews and games sections of our website portals have performed well, and data is indicating a climb in activity on both the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast. Yep, Queensland is a growing market."

Victorian Government Down Over $100 Million Thanks To Intralot Stuff Ups...

The Vic Brumby Government has missed out big time on $109 million in gambling tax revenue because shambled lotteries provider Intralot is delivering only 14% of the sales it committed to deliver last year. A bush swag of negative news stories on them across television, print, gaming media and alternative media can't be helping them much either. Intralot's bad sales performance of $55 million for 2009/10 was a long way off the $395 million it had originally forecast to deliver in its 2007 agreement with the Victorian government. The result was revealed in the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation's annual report, which showed tax paid by Intralot dropped from $18.46 million in 2009 to $16.3 million in 2010. The company's main revenues come from scratchies, keno and other games sold over the counter at newsagents. The same report showed that in March 2009 the commission began a review of "Intralot's operations with a view to assessing Intralot's compliance with its obligations to the state of Victoria and whether any of these areas may be contributing to Intralot's sales forecasts not being met". The Gaming Minister Tony Robinson has confirmed the government has received the review and is considering its findings, and insiders tip it's not looking good for the big I. Opposition gaming spokesman Michael O'Brien said "the lottery tax black hole is at the feet of John Brumby. He bungled the introduction of Intralot to the market and taxpayers continue to pay the price". Intralot Australia's acting chief executive Leo 'Warlord' (MM tag) Watling advised the company was in the third year of a 10-year licence and had always anticipated the first few years would be loss making. He said sales were "trending upwards", but many news media outlets and the know are understood to smell spin. The 2009/10 sales forecast included $82 million from TV Bingo that Intralot did not proceed with. Bean counters and numbers men have noted that more than $5 billion was lost gambling in Victoria last financial year...that's $26 million more than the previous year. An extra $102 million lost at Packers' Crown Casino and an increase in wagering losses meant total gambling losses increased despite a $110 million dip in poker machine losses outside the casino. Gamblers flushed down the john $1.32 billion at Crown and almost $2.6 billion on the state's 27,500 pokies located outside the casino. Folks, they are the numbers. Please, set limits, an stick to them.

What sort of other Aussie news would you like to see? Tell us in the forum.

Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month: PartyCasino.comMarvel Entertainment deep throat suggest more themed Marvel games may arrive in the coming months. Sly Stallone does want to further expand gaming and gambling interests. Playboy's Hugh Hefner is eying Australia for tourism, lifestyle and gambling business. Hulk Hogan is understood to see more games with his likeness hitting the internet, mobile phones, land based and online casinos. Experts says a Hulk Hogan online or offline slot game would do record business down under. Check out the casino reviews at Media Man. Oh, friendly reminder punters... bet with your head, not over it, and have fun. As the late, great, Kerry Packer would say, "I'll toss you for it".

*Media Manhttp://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming and offer political commentary and analysis.